I'd steal from history and wrestling and go with Oklahoma Stampede.Bill Walton's feet, Sam Bowie's leg, Greg Oden's knee. Not great precedent for Portland big men with lower body injuries.If Ben Bernanke keeps destroying the American currency, Vancouver might get another team before Seattle.

Originally posted by El NastioAs an Expos fan, I welcome you to the "we've been screwed by owners and lost our team" club! At least you guys have a chance to possibly get your team back.

A few questions for the Super Sonics fans:

- Will your alliegence follow the team to OKC?- Will you start cheering for another team?- Will you NOT cheer for anyone and hope you get a team back?

I apologize for my language ahead of time but to answer your questions:

1. Fuck no I wont cheer for "that" team.2. I won't cheer for another team but I will likely become a casual observer of the NBA, maybe.3. I will cheer anyone going against OKC. This won't be against the player's themselves but more against ol' Clay Clay. I will look at the box scores and see how Kevin Durant does but that may be about the only "cheering" I will do.

I will say that I will lodge my support for the Storm and certainly other basketball in the area though. I suppose the thing that really irks me is that in paragraph 6 of the agreement, it basically states that, courtesy of KJRAM.com:

"PBC further agrees that if an expansion team is approved by the NBA within the next five years to play in a renovated KeyArena, then the owner of such team and the PBC are each free to use and refer to the Sonics' history (e.g,, statistics, player histories and records) during the NBA seasons prior to the date of this MOU that the Sonics played in Seattle. PBC further agrees, to the extentrequested by a new Seattle team owner, it will transfer at no cost the team's banners, trophies and retired jerseys to such owner, provided that such owner acknowledges that the memorabilia relates to a "shared history" between PBC and the team and that PBC retains the right to createand display duplicate copies of such memorabilia. The trophies, banners, and retired jerseys, together with other memorabilia identified by the City and acceptable to PBC."

Basically, if a team does come to Seattle, we have to share the heritage and history with those rat bastard, sons of bitches in OKC. Bennett went as far last night as to state during his little victory speech that they were going to replicate the banners that hang in KeyArena as well as replicate the NBA Championship trophy that they can put in their trophy case. I'd love to hear what Boston has to say about that. Basically, the NBA Title doesn't mean shit if anyone can just go out and make one. Goddamn, why doesn't Sacramento go out and get one and display that proudly! Anyone can do it...chrissakes this just sucks.

Originally posted by Mr. BoffoDo we have any Oklahoma W's? How do you feel about gaining a team at Seattle's loss? What should the new team be called? Given that OK was formed as the Indian territories, a respectful (ie not Indians or Redskins, and red should not be one of the team colors [a dark red like maroon might work]) native american name and mascot might be appropriate.

Will the OKC team be able to pull from the surrounding states (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri)?

Should Portland try to market itself as the Northwest's team? Would that gain them Seattle area fans?

I live in Tulsa not OKC, but here goes.

The NBA wasn't going to expand and the Hornets did well there so they needed to strike while the OKC fire was still burning.

It seems when a team moves, the city they move from feels like the girl that got stood up at the prom...

Baltimore with the ColtsMontreal with the ExposCharlotte with the HornetsQuebec City with the Nordiques (that might be a stretch)

It sucks.

I don't follow the NBA as much as I used to. Maybe I will with a team about 100 miles down the turnpike. Who knows.

And I haven't seen a team name of contest as of yet. But again I am in Tulsa, not OKC.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go backstage. I'm proud of myself, I just beat Brad Armstrong!"- Arn Anderson on WCW Saturday Night in 1992, in the classiest display I've ever seen of someone putting over an underrated mid-carder that everyone in the locker room knew deserved better than the push he got.

I've thought about this more. I'm in less of a "jerk"ish mood. Here's what I'm thinking:

* It has been bull that Portland fans are expected to make the journey to Seattle to watch NFL and MLB games.* There are documented fanbases for both Portland and Seattle basketball franchises. * If people don't start to buy / show up for / support Portland basketball from the Seattle area, maybe the other leagues will realize that there are a bunch of fans in Portland not making the trip for NFL/MLB games, just like there arent a bunch of Seattle fans showing up in Portland.

The only good thing that can come out of this would be Portland getting a new sports franchise. It probably won't happen, but it could be a good source of data for the other leagues.

I hope that this still gets hung up somewhere. I'm a Chargers fan, and watching San Diego go through this crap over the years has been painful. I don't know how bad it would feel if it really went through.

I lived in Seattle, grew up in Seattle, and loved the Sonics. I've been across the country for the last 8 years plus I've been sucked into the Isiah Circus, so it was probably easier for me to detach from the team in receant years than it would have been there. That being said it would be really hard to root for a hated rival of so many years. Terry Porter raining threes, or Chris Dudley playing like a wild man throwing elbows is pretty hard to forgive.

Anyone from that area know if the Seattle stations will be picking up Blazers games? I will admit it's a lot easier to 'sell out' when the team is on all the time.

The whole situation is dirty and it really stinks, especially now when it looks like Seattle will most likely end up with the Grizzlies anyways. It's not really what they want, they want the Sonics. Why couldn't Stern use his power to guide his good Bennett to a failing franchise with no fan base and have them go to OKC?

Originally posted by britishilesIt seems when a team moves, the city they move from feels like the girl that got stood up at the prom...

Baltimore with the ColtsMontreal with the ExposCharlotte with the HornetsQuebec City with the Nordiques (that might be a stretch)

Totally not a stretch. Just as a quick example during the 1995 Referendum, many voting districts around the Colisee - traditionally very pro-separatist - voted against separation much higher than expected and exit polls seemed to indicate that they were doing so to punish the PQ (speratist) government for not doing more to keep the Nordiques in Quebec.

Originally posted by Joseph RyderUntil Stern leaves or dies or is assassinated, the NBA is not coming back to Seattle. Seattle didn't play ball and in turn earned its way onto Stern's shit list, NWO style 4 Life Brother.

This is why I can never watch the NBA. I was a child of the 80s, Celtics/Laker/Pistons drew me in. But David Stern is the worst kind of scum. He's basically a mob boss running a sport. I can't stand that SoB, and his complacency during this travesty is just par for the course.

You'll never convince me that Gary Bettman becoming NHL Commissioner wasn't a planned move on Stern's part to keep hockey away, when it threatened to surpass the NBA.

Originally posted by britishilesIt seems when a team moves, the city they move from feels like the girl that got stood up at the prom...

Baltimore with the ColtsMontreal with the ExposCharlotte with the HornetsQuebec City with the Nordiques (that might be a stretch)

Totally not a stretch. Just as a quick example during the 1995 Referendum, many voting districts around the Colisee - traditionally very pro-separatist - voted against separation much higher than expected and exit polls seemed to indicate that they were doing so to punish the PQ (speratist) government for not doing more to keep the Nordiques in Quebec.

Also Winnipeg is totally NOT over the Jets move.

Dude, until the NHL returns to 'Peg, they'll never be over the Jets. Winnipeg had one of the strongest fan bases in the world.

Oh, and being a Leafs fan for years, I always preferred the Nordiques, for obvious reasons

I am sorry to see the Sonics go. I used to take trips to Seattle from Vancouver to see them play; they had a nice arena there, and Seattle's a nice town.

Casey was blemished by scandal within the UK basketball program when he was an assistant under Eddie Sutton. An Emory Overnight package containing game tape from Casey to recruit Chris Mills popped open to reveal around $1,000 in cash.